Trying to leave its early-seasons struggles far behind them, the Skaneateles girls volleyball team rushed into October in good form and maintained it through last week’s group of matches.
The Lakers played quite well in Monday’s match against Mexico, roaring through the first set 25-9 and tacking on 25-13 and 25-15 victories in the next two sets to earn a sweep and a fourth consecutive victory, all of them straight-sets sweeps.
As a team, Skaneateles picked up 19 aces, with seven different players earning them. That included Cassidy Pitman, who led the Lakers with four aces while also earning six assists as fellow setter Laura Delasin had seven assists and three aces. Karah Blair had four aces and three assists.
Emily Baldwin and Jessica Patalino both earned four kills, with Aidan Bennett getting three kills. Patalino also picked up four blocks and two aces as Emma Goodell gained five digs. Erica Beatson and Elizabeth Williams had two aces apiece.
This pushed the Lakers above the .500 mark (6-5), and a night later it went for five in a row against Solvay. Showing its resolve, Skaneateles erased a late deficit and played its best at the end of a five-set victory over the Bearcats.
A long, tough opening set went 26-24 in the Lakers’ favor. Solvay evened it up, 25-19, in the second set, and when it went beyond the wire to also take the third set 27-25, the Bearcats appeared to have control.
Instead, that third-set defeat made Skaneateles focus a bit more, and once it won the fourth set 25-19, the Lakers were on the way, going on to crush Solvay 25-9 in the final set as Goodell finished a night where she earned 23 digs and Baldwin picked up a season-best nine aces, plus eight digs and four kills.
Pitman had 11 assists, with Delasin contributing seven assists and Olivia Nye six assists. Jenna Moore got five assists to go with her five kills. Grasso led with nine kills, just ahead of Patalino, who had eight kills and three blocks. Karah Blair and Rachel Smith both had three digs.
Solvay had plenty of standouts, too, as Brielle Bagozzi picked up 20 kills and 16 digs, with Mackenzie McCarthy getting 21 assists and nine digs. Taylor Preble managed 28 digs and five kills as Mikayla Knight and Lauren Nichols both had seven kills and Bella Petralito earned five aces and six kills.
A week will pass before the Lakers had another local match, as it meets Living Word Academy next Tuesday and Homer on Oct. 13.
